Friday, October 16, 2015

Opening up the Cubify Site this morning, I was blown away by the latest update. I remember the first time I opened the Cubify web site and it seems a world and an eternity away! It is amazing and gratifying to experience the evolution of the site over the years to the point where it is extraordinarily inviting to browse and use.

Most of the time I only have regular contact with the people that deal with hardware and app development. So, I don't know who to thank for the progressively better web site experience that has burst forth in the last few updates. So, if you are part of the team, consider this my Thank You! I LOVE it!

As I went to bed last night I was fretting that PLA appeared to be unavailable. Not fun. But, fortunately, I awoke to a completely different reality. I'm having FUN again!

What a difference a few hours makes!

Every now and then, someone accuses me of being a stealth employee of 3D Systems. But, it's easy to put that thought to rest by pointing out how many times I have not only been completely surprised by a new product or development; but, way behind in discovering it. Fabricate is one of the glaring examples and the PLA availability confusion is another.

One of the improvements that I woke to this morning was the new presentation of the filament colors. After years of flat swatches, we are treated to sculptured objects for making our colored choices. Shadows are important when it comes to choosing a filament color and the new presentation allows us to compare not only the basic colors; but, the nuances of the colors as printed. This isn't just a cosmetic update. For users I consider it an important usability update.

Designs for USERS
One of the side effects of being as busy as I am actually doing and teaching 3D printing is that it leaves less time to spend catching up on what is being presented on the Cubify web site for users. So, I fail to alert users to the free designs and other perks being offered to users on Cubify.com.

I'll try to do better in this regard. And, in the meantime, I'll point to the Cubify Halloween Page as the perfect example of 3D System's constant commitment to elevating the Cube experience for users.

While not free, the new fabric patterns are reasonably priced and are a great way to become familiar with using 3D printing in fabric projects. I was excited to see the patterns offering because it helps potential 3D Printer owners understand how to integrate 3D printed parts in fabric projects. The fact that 3D Systems is constantly thinking about new and exciting applications for consumer 3D printing is very gratifying to me. The patterns made it easier for me to visualize how to introduce Fabricate concepts to our cadets and I KNOW they are going to be VERY excited.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

While I can't spend much time on it right now, I wanted to point you to the fact that 3D Systems continues to add value to your Cube3 investment by adding continuing to open up entirely new horizons for Cube3 owners.

I need to do a LOT more experimentation. But, I cannot think of anything that adds more potential for the cadets that I teach than the all new Fabricate concept for blending clothing design and 3D printing.

Tonight's Project Runway's "avant garde" challenge featured the 3rd Gen Cube with the new Fabricate system. Very Cool!

As soon as tonight's episode is online I will post the link. In the meantime, check out the Cubify Fabricate link above... and let your minds go wild!

UPDATE #1

My experimentation will have to wait a bit. None of the purchase links are live just now on the Cubify site. Moreover, there are hints that this new capability might mean updated PLA cartridges. While not a confirmation, I have to note that at the current moment, absolutely NO PLA cartridges are available on the Cubify site and users are being directed to consider ABS.

I will do my best to get better information on this situation. But, if the two events are related. I will be patient and point you to other sources of filament for the Cube3 in the meantime.

IMPORTANT UPDATE #2 - PLA IS Available Timing is EVERYTHING. This morning, I woke to find that not only is PLA available; but, the new presentation on the web site is infinitely better at allowing us to assess the actual colors in real applications by adding images of the color as printed in actual 3D objects!

Apparently, it was a web site update issue rather than an actual availability problem.

Blogs of Note

Personalizing Help

As my granddaughters grew up, they would search the racks of cups, etc. at places like Cracker Barrel, gift shops and toy stores to see if they could find an item with their name on it. They always came up empty. They could never find a personalized item.

3D printing has solved that problem in our family.

But, what if you don't have a 3D printer. software or time in which to create a personalized 3D item? In that case, I would like to help. Just send me a request and, if possible, I'll try to design the personalized item for you.

Any resulting design will be made available for you and others to download from the Cubify.Com store. Designs will be priced at the lowest current cost permitted on Cubify.com.